Complications
by amy. j x
Summary: Alternative Universe. When Ryan and Sharpay move to Albuquerque and begin school at East High, how will it change the lives of the students already there? Chad/Ryan eventually, with mentions of canon pairings.
1. Fresh Start

**AN: Okay, so I decided I would write a multi-chapter Chyan fic for the first time, and this was the result. I'm from the UK, so apologies for any mistakes with American references, etc. This story was unbeta-ed, so all mistakes are mine. Hopefully you'll enjoy it. Oh, and please leave reviews. Xx **

Ryan shut the door of Sharpay's pink convertible, and took in the school; the teenagers spilling out of the yellow bus; friends greeting and couples kissing; the large banner hanging above the entrance announcing the school's latest basketball victory; before turning to his sister, who stood, hands on hips and disapproving look painted on her face, at the other side of the car, and asked, "You ready?"

It had been a week since they had packed all their belongings, their entire existence, in to cardboard boxes, piled them in to a removal van, and driven the long and tiresome journey cross country to Albuquerque, New Mexico. And here they were, at their new school, East High. Sharpay walked ahead of Ryan, hips sashaying and hair blowing in the light breeze, whilst her twin followed her with his hands shoved in his pockets and a shy smile on his face for anyone who looked his way. Some things never changed.

This was the fresh start he needed; new state, new school, new friends. Hopefully he'd finally become more than Sharpay's shadow. A boy could dream. When they reached the home room they had been assigned, he adjusted his hat and entered the classroom. Most of the seats had been taken, except two near a tall, dark skinned boy with a crazy afro and a basketball clutched close to his chest. He debated on whether to sit behind him or across from him, but his question was answered when a chocolate skinned girl with a short bob and a determined look in her eyes strode into the classroom and kissed him on the cheek before taking the seat behind him. Ryan saw the distant look in the boy's eyes when the girl kissed him, and when Ryan took the seat next to him, he saw the other boy noticeably checking him out. He smirked and extended a hand. He prided himself on his ability to make any seemingly straight guy putty in his hands, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to have some fun.

"I'm Ryan."

"Chad."

The boy took the proffered hand and shook it. The blond noticed the sweaty palm and barely concealed blush before pulling back his hand, giving the boy a dazzling smile, and turning his head in search of his sister. When he did he noticed the scowl on Chad's girlfriend's face - she had clearly noticed his flirting, and gave him a look which screamed 'Back off, he's mine.' - however he dismissed it with a small smile and located his sister at the back of the classroom with a tall boy who was stumbling over his words and offering her chocolate éclairs. Sharpay certainly didn't waste any time.

By the time he turned back in his seat, smiling and raising his eyebrows at a blushing Chad as he did so, the teacher had entered the classroom. He hadn't yet noticed the extravagantly decorated small stage at the front of the room, with it's vibrant colours and plush rug, but when he saw the teacher, it all made perfect sense.

As it was the first day of term, she announced herself as Ms. Darbus, with a flourish and greeted himself and Sharpay as soon as she noticed the new faces in the room. She then began to recite a long list of information, mostly regarding the Drama Club, which most of his classmates groaned at, but Ryan paid close attention to, before telling the class that sign ups were with Kelsi in the auditorium at lunchtime.

He turned to the shy, pretty girl Ms. Darbus had indicated and gave her smile, which she returned before quickly turning away.

When the bell indicating the end of home room rang, Ryan stood , making sure to brush his hand up Chad's arm before the stunned boy rose from his seat, and left the room without waiting for Sharpay. However, he should have known it wouldn't that easy to get rid of his demanding sister, and before he'd made it halfway along the corridor her trademark screech of 'Ryan!' could be heard, before she caught up with him, dragging the boy from homeroom behind her.

"Ryan, meet Zeke. Zeke, my brother Ryan."

Introductions out of the way, she grabbed the tin of baked treats from Zeke before shooing him away and falling in to step with her brother. Ryan saw the longing look the boy sent after his sister as he lingered in the hallway, and he actually felt sorry for him. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

The remainder of the morning was rather uneventful, and Ryan didn't seen Chad again. He had a few classes without Sharpay which he was eternally grateful for, they may be twins but he was growing increasingly more impatient of her nagging nature. The few hours away from her were a godsend, as far as he was concerned.

At lunchtime, after grabbing a quick lunch in the school canteen and listening to Sharpay bitch about some girl called Gabriella and her sickeningly sweet relationship with some guy called Troy, he headed to the auditorium with his sister, as usual, by his side to sign up for the school show, which he saw as the perfect opportunity to meet new people. That was when things started to show the first sign of becoming interesting.

He wandered in to the auditorium, taking in the large stage and rows of seats - it all looked very professional - and located Kelsi perched behind the piano, humming along to a tune she was playing. He could hear Sharpay scoff as she took in the girl's appearance - her floppy hat, band t-shirt and waistcoat weren't exactly Sharpay's idea of fashion.

Ryan cleared his throat as they approached Kelsi and the girl looked up and smiled at the twins. He told her that they were there to sign up, and she visibly sighed in relief, explaining that there had only been one other person signing up. He gave her a sympathetic smile, and when he looked up to meet her eyes he was greeted by a seductive gaze shining from behind heavy eyelids. Sharpay was oblivious to the girl's obvious flirting as she had strutted off some few minutes ago with her mobile attached to the side of her face. When Kelsi's hand reached over the piano in an attempt to run her fingers up his arm, he pulled his hand back and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Um, maybe I'm not glaringly obvious enough, but I thought the pink trousers and co-ordinating hat were a bit of a give away?"

She still looked a little clueless, and very embarrassed.

"I'm gay."

"Oh."

Fortunately, they were saved from an extremely awkward situation when a girl with long, black wavy hair entered the auditorium followed by a stream of annoyed Wildcats and various other members of their homeroom.

"No way!" "Are you serious?!" "A musical?!"

The pretty brunette looked pleadingly at the large group, before saying, clearly as a way of explanation, "I thought we could all do it is a bit of fun, something we could do together, you know?"

She looked toward a good looking boy with shaggy, light brown hair and tattered Converse for back up, and he stepped up to stand beside her and defend her to the angry mob. Ryan picked up, from the following conversation, that this must be the infamous Troy and Gabriella from Sharpay's lunchtime rant. He had spotted them in homeroom, but hadn't really paid attention to them, too busy throwing flirty glances toward a certain basketball player with a head full of corkscrew curls, but now he observed them he was beginning to agree with his twin about the whole 'sickly sweet' thing.

He didn't quite understand the whole fuss, it wasn't as if she had actually put their names down for the musical, after all Kelsi had said earlier that only a couple of people had signed up, so if it was only a suggestion what was all the hype about?

At that moment, he spotted Chad in the group and locked eyes with the boy, raising his eyebrows as a way of challenge. Troy had already agreed with Gabriella, as predictable as it was, and Ryan wanted to see what the other boy would do.

He was pleasantly surprised when Chad raised his hand, saying simply, "I'm in."

He smirked and kept his eyes locked to Chad's. His girlfriend, who he had discovered was called Taylor shot him a glare, but he took no notice, choosing instead to give Chad one last seductive smile, and leaving the stage with a quick wave to Kelsi. This _would_ be fun.

The afternoon dragged on, and it was a relief to finally get out of the school, however, if was less of a relief to have to spend a ten minute car journey listening to Sharpay's bitching and plotting. They'd only been at the school one day, and she'd already located her victims. Ryan only rolled his eyes and stared out of the car, pretending to listen.

When they returned home they were greeted by the smell of home baking from the kitchen where their mother was waiting.

"Pumpkin! Ducky! How was your first day?"

Ryan greeted her with a grin and kissed her cheek, however Sharpay only huffed out a breath and stormed off, but not before grabbing one of the freshly baked muffins.

Taking a seat across from his mother at the breakfast bar and taking a bite out of his blueberry muffin, Ryan began to regale every single little detail about his day, from Ms. Darbus and her overly flamboyant personality, to signing up for the school musical, and finally he gushed for a good five minutes about Chad, describing his hair and large brown eyes extremely comprehensively.

His mother only smiled, biting in to her own muffin, and listened intently. It had been strange at first, accepting that her only son was gay, but if she was truly honest with herself she had known for years, ever since the twin's fourth birthday when Ryan received a GI Joe and Sharpay was presented with a Barbie. Her son had pouted and chucked his toy across the room, demanding a pretty doll like Sharpay's, as he wanted to dress her in the assortment of outfits provided and comb her hair. Her suspicions were later confirmed on their first day of Junior school, when Ryan returned home with stories of his new friend Marcus. All seemed normal until he described the other boy as 'pretty' and suddenly Mrs Evans was sure that she would never live out her dreams of seeing her little boy marry a beautiful woman and have a family of his own. She had forced it to the back of her mind, until she walked in on a twelve year old Ryan kissing his best friend, the same one he had said was pretty all those years ago. Her poor son had been forced to come out before he was entirely ready, and his friend never spoke to him again after the humiliation of being caught.

But here they were, both comfortable enough in Ryan's sexuality to discuss his latest crush, and it was in that moment that Mrs Evans realised how lucky she was to have the son that she did.

"…and I'm pretty certain he might like me back, because he blushed practically every time I looked his way, and he…"


	2. Every Kind of Sappy

_**AN: Thank you to those who have reviewed and subscribed to the story, hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Once again, please read and review, as I love feedback! xx**_

Just over a week had passed. Ten days of struggling to find his way through the new school; ten days of meeting new people and making new friends; ten days of eagerly awaiting news on the school show; and ten days of trying to spend as much time away from Sharpay as possible and as many hours as possible with Chad.

Over the course of the relatively short period of time, Ryan had slowly come to the realisation that what he had first thought could be a bit of fun was in fact a full blown crush, a burning desire to spend time with Chad, get to know Chad, to run his fingers through Chad's hair and to feel Chad's lips pressed to his own.

After a few more days , Ryan found out that his charming smiles and more than a little nagging toward Ms. Darbus had paid off, as the cast list for the musical was released and he found out that not only had he won a place in the show, but he had been assigned to assist with the choreography. As, what felt like, the entire homeroom gathered around and read the list eagerly - Ryan noted that the Wildcats had grown decidedly more enthusiastic about the prospect of landing a role in the show - he felt a large hand pat his shoulder from behind, the warmth spreading and a spark shooting up his spine as Chad offered his congratulations. Before Ryan knew what was happening he was being pulled round and into a hug as Chad breathed into his ear,

"Well done, man. I knew how much you wanted this."

Chad was oblivious to the double meaning in his words but Ryan couldn't help but breathe in his scent whilst the jock patted him on the back one last time and pulled back from their 'brotherly' hug.

Of course he had seen Chad's name on the list, a few down from his own, and he couldn't describe the buzz that he felt at the thought of working in such close proximity with the object of his affections for such a length of time.

He left the hallway with one last smile in the other boy's direction and headed to his first class of the day, aware all the time of the eyes burning in to the back of his head.

…

Another week passed, and Ryan found himself engrossed in going over and over potential dances for the show on Thursday after school.

He moved elegantly across the stage of the auditorium, stretching his body perfectly and rolling his hips with ease to the beat of the upbeat music coming from the CD player in the corner. He practiced the moves repeatedly until they were second nature and heavy breaths were ripping from his throat and a light sheen of sweat covered his body. He retreated backstage and changed out of his loose jogging pants, t-shirt and dancing shoes back in to his dark jeans and light blue shirt before grabbing his belongings, switching off the lights and heading out to his car.

As he shut the main school door behind him, and faced the car park he spotted a figure with curly hair and dark skin, and on closer inspection his hopes were confirmed when he saw that it was indeed Chad.

The jock was leaving the gym, the last one by the looks of things, shutting the door and lugging a large kit bag behind him. As soon as he saw Ryan he jogged over the other boy and greeted him with a large smile. The blazing late summer sun illuminated his skin, the beads of sweat on his forehead glistened in the bright light and his eyes seemed to dazzle. His lips looked more kissable than ever, even more so when his tongue flicked out to wet them, and Ryan ached to reach out and stroke his fingers over the soft muscles of Chad's biceps. Ryan knew it was cliché and cheesy and every kind of sappy, but in his eyes Chad really did look stunning.

"Hey dude, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I decided to stay back and practice some dances for the show. What about you?"

"Basketball practice. How's the dancing going, then?"

They fell into an easy conversation, and soon Ryan was offering Chad, who had planned on walking home, a ride and the other boy was accepting.

Chad admired the exterior, as well as the interior, of Ryan's very impressive dark blue convertible, with numerous 'ooh's and 'aah's, as he ran his fingers along the buttery soft leather seat that he sat comfortably in and told Ryan repeatedly how much he loved his car. The blond only chuckled at his exuberance and drove off following Chad's directions to the other boy's house.

When they reached the house Ryan smiled, taking in the well kept front lawn, with it's freshly cut lawn and neat rows of colourful plants. Chad lived in an area of modestly sized detached houses and the sun shone brightly over the row of immaculate lawns and polished cars.

"Nice place."

"Thanks. Look, um, … you wanna come in?"

Fifteen minutes later Ryan and Chad were engrossed in conversation, cans of soda in their hands and laughter in their voices as they discussed everything from the eccentric Ms. Darbus, to Zeke's baking, Troy and Gabriella's fairytale relationship and their own family lives. Ryan found out Chad lived with both his mom and dad but that his older sister had left home and was studying medicine and university, and his parents were currently out at work. Chad found out that Ryan's family was extremely wealthy, that he lived on a large estate and they even owned a country club, but that his parents were often away on trips and he had been primarily brought up by nannies and housekeeping staff and that he secretly longed to live in a smaller house in a friendly neighbourhood, with people next door instead of an isolated mansion with a half mile long driveway shaded by tall, leafy trees.

When the topic of conversation changed to girlfriends, Ryan awkwardly announced that he'd never had a girlfriend, but that he had only ever had a boyfriend. At the little revelation, Chad had to stop himself from choking on his mouthful of soda. It wasn't that it shocked him, not at all - he had a feeling that Ryan was gay the first moment he saw him - but the fact that Ryan was so open surprised him slightly. If Chad was being entirely honest with himself, he would have paid more attention to the small smile that very almost graced his lips and the slight flutter in his stomach that his suspicions were in fact true, but he really wasn't ready to face up to what that meant, and was momentarily relieved when Ryan brought up Taylor. He had a girlfriend. He couldn't possibly have feelings for the confident, blond boy with his enticing smile and soft lips and… No! He had a girlfriend. He had a girlfriend. Taylor. Who he loved very much.

"It's going great with me and Taylor, thanks."

Ryan was momentarily disappointed at Chad's answer, but soon his mood lifted when the other boy went on to say that things weren't, in fact, so perfect with Taylor. He described her clingy nature, how controlling and demanding of him she was, how she refused to realise this and seemed to barely acknowledge that he was her supposed to be her boyfriend, not some lap dog.

Before Ryan could stop himself, his hand was reaching across the breakfast bar and landing on Chad's in what had been intended as a comforting gesture. The other boy looked up, meeting Ryan's anxious gaze with his own expression full of confusion and trepidation, however, when he glanced back down at their hands, he entwined his fingers with Ryan's, looking up again with a nervous smile.

The next thing he knew, Ryan was lifting his body off of the stool he had been perched on and leaning across the table between them to press his lips every so slightly to the jock's. All to soon it was over, but just as quickly Chad's hand slithered round behind Ryan's neck and pulled him closer, kissing him once again.

Their lips moved in perfect unison, their hands still entwined on the table top and Chad's large hand carded through Ryan's hair. All thoughts of the blossoming friendship with Chad that he could potentially be ruining and Chad's relationship with Taylor that he could possibly be destroying, the guilt and fear, the questioning and apprehension, fled Ryan's head and he simply allowed himself to enjoy the kiss, the feeling of lips crashing and tongues meeting that he had craved for days.

But as suddenly as it had started, it had finished as Chad pulled back, grasping his hand from Ryan's hold and standing from his stool. His eyes flitted around the kitchen unsure where to look and his fingers trembled as they ran through his hair. Ryan could only sit by and watch as the other boy clearly fretted about what had just happened.

Chad's mind was awash with scrambled thoughts and feelings. He had a girlfriend, yet when he kissed Ryan it was like nothing that he had experienced with Taylor. Her kisses were clinical and forced, as if she felt obliged to as part of her role as girlfriend. With Ryan it was full of passion and pent up desire. The dancer's lips had only served to fuel the fire that had been burning within him since that first day when he had smirked at him and ran his hand up his arm, the tingles that had shoot through his body that day were nothing compared to what he had just felt, but he wasn't gay, he knew he wasn't, more importantly he couldn't be. Basketball would never be the same again, no matter how accepting East High may be, he knew for certain that the guys would be far from comfortable in the locker rooms with an openly gay team mate in their presence, and even if they didn't have a problem with him he knew that when he left school it would become increasingly difficult to fit in to a profession that wasn't exactly known for it's acceptance of gay men. But aside from all of that, he just wasn't ready to come out as gay. There was no way he was in any way prepared to drop such a bombshell on his parents. And so, somehow, he had to find a way to push his feelings for Ryan to one side and go back to being the 'basketball playing jock that was dating the clever girl' that every one knew him for.

"I…I just can't. You should go."

All Ryan could do was nod and gather his things. He offered Chad a small smile as he left, but the other boy wouldn't look up from the fruit bowl his eyes were transfixed on, so he left without another word. He knew what Chad must be thinking right now, and he understood that he would need time. It took Ryan years to fully understand what the feelings he was having meant, and as soon as did he had kissed his best friend who, like Chad, had kissed him back and quickly regretted it. Ryan could only hope that Chad would react differently than Marcus in the long run and that he hadn't ruined what could have been a great friendship before it had barely had a chance to start.

Turning his key in the ignition, he drove along the street, in the direction of his own house, and didn't look back.


	3. Confessions and Reconciliations

_AN: Okay, so I'm beginning to wonder if I should continue writing this, so please review and tell me if you think I should keep updating. Thanks. Xx _

"_Stretch_ your arm, Chad!"

Ryan shook his head in exasperation and moved to stand behind Chad, taking his hand in his and pulling his arm upwards. He felt Taylor's glare burning in to the back of his head, and could feel the heat radiating from Chad as he stuttered his thanks before the blond dancer moved on to help the rest of the group with their dancing. Ryan's plan was working surprisingly well.

It had been an entire month since their kiss, and as the weeks passed, Chad remained distant, unable to maintain eye contact whilst Ryan was talking to him, or even raise his head in acknowledgement when Ryan entered homeroom. Ryan wasn't stupid, he knew it was to hide his blushes.

The jock really was far too obvious. If he saw Ryan approaching, he would grab Taylor, who was apparently sewn to his side now, and kiss her enthusiastically. He wasn't fooling Ryan, he'd noticed Chad's eyes on him more than a few times when his lips were attached to his supposed girlfriend's. He almost felt sorry for Taylor, the poor girl, for all her intellect, really had no clue that Ryan's flirting wasn't at all one-sided.

So, Ryan figured if Chad could have a beard, he could have a boyfriend. Two could play at that game. Jake was the only other openly gay guy in their year, and Ryan had seen the boy observing him with a glint in his eye and a smirk gracing his lips since he had arrived at the school. He truly was gorgeous, his light tan, chiselled cheekbones and emerald eyes had every girl in the school swooning, but Ryan got a bigger thrill from seeing the jealousy flash across Chad's features when Jake kissed him in the lunch queue than he did from the feeling of Jake's arms around. His kisses weren't even comparable to Chad's. He may have had model-worthy looks and deliciously soft lips with a particular talent of knowing what to do with them, but Ryan missed the rush he got when Chad had kissed him, the feeling of the other boy's surprisingly gentle fingers pressed to his cheek and running through his hair, the tentative way his tongue had flicked over Ryan's lips and the way he had moaned ever so slightly and pulled Ryan closer when their tongues danced.

But they had continued on this way for an entire fortnight; Chad kissing Taylor, all the while fantasising about Ryan's lips, his hips swaying whilst he demonstrated dances for the show and dreaming of eventually being brave enough to voice his desire for the other boy; and Ryan indulging in endless public displays of affection with Jake whilst revelling in the way Chad watched them together, and longing for the day when Chad would finally act on his feelings and kiss him again.

It was awkward. Beyond awkward. Ryan guiding him in to the complicated steps he had to master for the show, his hands on his arms, his waist, his hips, all the while trying to deny the rush he got from the dancer's hands all over him, the buzz he got from imagining that they were all alone and the touches meant so much more that guidance and instruction.

Another eight days later, and Chad once again found himself flushing under the heat of the stage lights and Ryan's gaze as the group was taught yet another dance. Chad understood the dance perfectly, but he deliberately stumbled over the steps and feigned frustration in order to receive some one-on-one mentoring from the blonde boy who haunted his dreams.

Ryan stood behind him, standing on his tip toes to make up for the height difference and took both of Chad's hands in his own, slowly guiding him through the moves, all the time breathing instructions in his ear and taking great pleasure in hearing the taller boy's heavy, uneven breathing. Chad could feel everyone's eyes on them, the sexual tension was obvious to the entire group, as they masked their stares with the pretence of actually practicing the dance moves, but he couldn't bring himself to care, Ryan's body only inches from his own and his hot breath sending shivers down his neck pushed any thoughts of the raised eyebrows and hushed gossiping they were causing.

He broke the relative silence between himself and Ryan with the question that had been playing on his mind for over three weeks now.

"So, what's going on with you and Jake?"

Ryan continued to move behind him, guiding him through the routine seemingly unfazed by the sudden question.

"Not much, really. It's nothing serious."

He smirked at the jolt that ran through Chad's body as he ran his fingertips down the jock's side at his last words, before moving on to the next person in need of help. Chad's eyes scanned the stage in search of Taylor, and on meeting her harsh glare he smiled sheepishly and went back to working through the steps.

…

Sharpay had always taken pride in her close relationship with her brother. He would share all his deepest darkest secrets with her, and she would do the same. She knew he was gay before any one else, she knew this for a fact. She can remember they night he told her in vivid detail. They hadn't shared a room since they had moved to their new house three years previously, but a ten year old Ryan repeatedly snuck into his sister's room at night, climbing under the covers and cuddling her until they both fell asleep. So she thought nothing of it that night when he tiptoed in and shut the door ever so quietly behind him. As always the covers lifted, the cool night air hitting her pyjama clad back, and Ryan slid in to the bed. Like usual, she turned to face her brother, smiling at him and wrapping her arms round him, before shutting her eyes and whispering "sweet dreams" to her twin. However, that night, he didn't say it back, instead he confessed,

"I need to tell you something, Shar."

She hadn't said anything in response, knowing that when Ryan had a secret to tell he didn't want any interruptions, so she remained silent and maintained eye contact with her brother, the only light in the room that of the moon shining ever so slightly through her curtains. It took her brother a few minutes, but eventually he told her what he had been meaning to get off his chest for a long time.

"I like Marcus."

She had retorted with a snort, telling him that of course he liked Marcus, they were best friends and that it was a stupid secret. But he'd pulled a face just then and even in the dim light of the room she knew what his expression meant. She had been momentarily confused, boys didn't like boys that way, and for all of sixty seconds her ten year old brain failed to comprehend how Ryan could have those feelings for another boy, but she had pushed all her questions to the back of her mind, and although she didn't understand what it would all mean in the future, she pulled him in to a hug, and ran her fingers through his hair when she felt a small, warm puddle forming on her shoulder.

She missed the way things used to be. Ryan never tip-toed in to her room at night anymore, the last thing she heard at night hadn't been her twin whispering "sweet dreams" for over two years now, and she ached for things to return to how they used to be. Sharpay and Ryan against the world. She knew the changes in their relationship were most likely entirely down to her - she wasn't oblivious to her demanding nature, and she always regretted treating Ryan like her own personal entourage and not like the brother and best friend he had always been.

The fingers of her free hand gently rapped against the solid wooden door of Ryan's bedroom, before pushing the door open with her foot and balancing her tray in both hands when he shouted for her to go in.

"Hey."

She hated that she sounded so tentative, that no matter how she looked at it, her relationship with Ryan had completely changed in the past month and a half and it was all her fault. He looked up from his homework, and gave her a smile when he saw the tray of goodies his sister was clutching.

"I brought your favourites."

A tub of cookie dough ice cream, a packet of chewy candy and a big bar of dark chocolate were brandished in front of Ryan, and he dumped his books and invited Sharpay to sit next to him on the bed.

They sat cross-legged, eating the ice-cream straight out of the tub in comfortable silence.

Sharpay knew there was something going on with Ryan, and she was determined to get it out of him. It hurt her that she had to work to get Ryan to tell her things now, but the most important thing was getting to the bottom of the strange mood he brother had been in since they'd started at East High. To an outsider, Ryan's life was going perfectly, he was dating possibly the hottest boy in school, was passing all his classes with flying colours, had quickly made a set of close friends and was, in general, fitting in perfectly at their new school. But Sharpay knew the tell-tale signs that there was something up with her twin. He may have been all smiles as he walked around the school hand-in-hand with Jake, but when he was at home the grin slipped and he spent the majority of his time alone in his room, either doing homework, or endlessly going over dance routines.

She wanted her brother back, and the sooner she could do that, the better. She may be not-so-affectionately nicknamed the Ice Princess at school, but deep down she would do anything for her brother.

"I'm sorry, Ry. About us drifting apart."

To begin with the conversation was awkward, like they were old friends who hadn't met in years, with so much to tell each other and no idea where to start. But soon, they were laughing and joking like they were ten and told each other everything again. She questioned him about Jake, and that was when he really started to open up.

"I like some one else."

She knew it! She hadn't been imagining things when she witnessed his little moment with Chad in the auditorium the previous day, but this just made things so much more complicated. Chad was straight, and he had a girlfriend - one who was not to be crossed, as far as Sharpay knew. And she told Ryan as much whilst popping another square of chocolate in to her mouth.

"We've kissed."

Okay, she really wasn't expecting that. She knew Ryan was a flirt, but he had rules and boundaries, and he only ever crossed them if he _really_ liked some one. But then there was Jake. Even for Sharpay, this was as about juicy as it got, and if it was anyone but Ryan she would already be planning a way to spread it around the entire school. She asked him all about Jake, and he told her everything. About how Jake knew all about Ryan's crush on Chad, but had gone along with Ryan's plan anyway.

"He said something about my ass looking so great in my black skinny jeans that he could overlook the fact that I'm only with him to make someone else jealous."

Laughing, Sharpay told him, "I did always say that any boy you wanted was putty in your hands as soon as you pulled on those jeans."

But even if that did clear up the 'Jake Issue', as Sharpay had labelled it in her head, it didn't mean the problem was in any way solved. There was still Taylor, and even if her relationship with Chad was just as artificial as Ryan and Jake's, the fact that Chad was still using her as a beard presented a very big problem in itself.

"But, let me guess, he's ridiculously closeted."

"Scarily so."

Sharpay suggested she 'help' him out, but Ryan quickly refused her offer - he knew all to well what her assistance entailed, and he had no intention of making the situation any more complicated. Instead he told her of his idea.

"Don't be ridiculous! You can't be friends with the guy you are in love with! Do you have any idea how difficult that will be?"

And Ryan did, but he also knew that it meant spending time with Chad, and if that was the best he was going to get, then he would just have to settle.


	4. Extravagance

_AN: Thanks to those who are reading and reviewing, I really love feedback, and it's great to hear your opinions. Xx _

Ryan had prepared himself for difficult, but this was hell.

He'd approached Chad the day after his talk with Sharpay, proposing that they forget about the kiss and try to be friends. Chad had agreed, but Ryan could see in his eyes that it was going to be just as difficult for the jock to forget as it would be for him.

A few days had passed, and Ryan was gradually fitting in to the group. He discovered that once you got past Gabriella's unnaturally cheery disposition she was actually a really nice girl. Troy wasn't all that bad either, if you ignored his habit of over reacting to just about everything. Ryan even found that he was slowly getting used to Jason's endless questions and Taylor was reducing the number of cutting remarks and icy stares she sent his way. He found that Zeke was in fact perfect for his sister, and he soon found that he got on extremely well with the baker and despite his awkward start with Kelsi, he actually realised that he got on with her the best, that he could spend entire lunchtimes with her, talking about music and listening to her gush about how cute he and Jake were.

But no matter how accepting his new group of friends were and how well he was getting on with his twin, even when he should be perfectly happy, it still killed him to see Chad kiss Taylor, even if it was obvious that his heart wasn't in it, and he was finding it increasingly difficult to agree with Gabriella when she grinned and giggled about how 'adorable' they were.

However, if Ryan was anything, he was a good actor. He prided himself in the ease in which he could mask his true emotions, and so he went on pretending like everything was perfect and that he didn't daydream of Chad putting his arms around him and not Taylor.

He didn't know what the hell he was doing or what he was thinking, but the following Monday, he found himself watching Chad shooting hoops in the gym hall. He'd finished going over the last few dances for the show in the auditorium and so, after packing up his things and switching off the lights, he stupidly thought it would be a good idea to go find Chad.

The boy was currently running around the gym, panting heavily as he practiced his technique, demonstrating his skills with the ease of a professional. Ryan felt guilty for watching him when Chad was completely unawares, so he threw caution to the wind and decided to announce his presence.

"Impressive, Danforth."

Chad stopped dead, visibly surprised by the other boy's comment.

"Um, thanks?"

He cleared his throat and for a few minutes it was painfully awkward, the only sound filling the large room that of the air conditioning unit. Ryan broke the uncomfortable silence.

"So, I've shown you my moves, how about you show me yours?"

Chad stood rooted to the spot confused for a moment as Ryan approached him, his footsteps falling lightly on the polished wooden flooring, before he realised he was in fact talking about dancing and basketball, respectively. All he could do was nod slowly as Ryan came to rest next to him and gestured to the ball in Chad's hands wordlessly.

"Well…?"

Chad quickly shook his head to clear it, and handed the ball to Ryan instructing him on how to hold it and aim it at the net. But as Ryan released the basketball, it was clear that he had no clue what he was doing. Without thinking, Chad took the ball and, placing it in the dancer's hands, stood behind him and put his arms in to position.

He was instantly reminded of the previous week in the auditorium, when Ryan led him through the steps of the latest routine, the electricity that flew through him at the feeling of having Ryan so close. He knew that the blond was feeling exactly how he felt because he could see goose bumps forming on his arms and the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing to attention as he quietly instructed the dancer on how to throw, his large hands covering the significantly smaller ones of the other boy.

He breathed in the scent of the dancer, his lightly fragranced shampoo and subtle aftershave filling his nostrils. He'd only ever paid attention to the way girls smelt before, his nose had become accustomed to Taylor's slightly overpowering floral perfume and her fruity shampoo, but then he supposed he'd never been so close to another guy before, never breathed them in, or closed his eyes to savour the scent, but he found himself thinking that he could get used to inhaling the scent of this boy, this boy who had completely changed his view of himself, made him realise thoughts that had always been buried at the back of his mind, with nothing more than a smirk and a single movement of his talented hips.

He soon realised that they had been standing in the same position for what must have been at least an entire minute, but as the tension crackled in the tiny space of air between them and their chests rose and fell erratically, Chad couldn't care about anything else but standing there in such close proximity to the blond.

"And then I just throw it?"

Chad was brought to his senses by Ryan's question and he nodded quickly, frantically trying to calm his breathing and hide his blush.

Ryan threw it and, to the surprise of both boys, shot a perfect hoop. He cheered enthusiastically and turned to Chad with a wide grin and a twinkle in his eye.

"I did it!"

Ryan's grin was infectious and Chad couldn't help but smile back at the radiant boy in front of him.

"Hey, if you can teach me to dance, I guess anything is be possible."

Once again, the air was thick with silence as they stood maintaining perfect eye contact in the vast gym hall. It didn't take long for Chad to look away from Ryan's challenging, subtly flirtatious glance. In an effort to kill yet another awkward silence, Ryan invited the sweaty jock back to his house, failing to contain his grin when Chad said yes. After agreeing to wait for Chad in his car, Ryan left the gym with a satisfied smile on his face.

About fifteen minutes later Chad was approaching him, freshly showered and smiling as he slid into the passenger seat of Ryan's car.

"So, I'm finally getting to see this mansion of yours."

Ryan chuckled and, after switching on the radio, drove out of the East High car park.

They barely talked for the entire twenty minute journey, the music from the radio helped in avoiding any long silences, but Chad found that he was growing more and more nervous as they drew closer to their destination. The sexual tension between Ryan and himself was obvious, not just to himself but to everyone in the school. He was certain even Jake was aware of their flirtation, but then he dismissed his suspicions, because even if the boy did smirk when he caught Chad staring at Ryan for longer than was appropriate, he was Ryan's boyfriend and surely if he thought there was something going on he would say.

He knew Taylor had noticed but he also knew that she put all the blame on Ryan, that she believed the flirtation was entirely one-sided, and he longed to tell her the truth but he just wasn't ready to have the whole school judging him. He grew apprehensive of how long he could maintain being friends with Ryan before his true feelings took over.

Chad was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realise that they were nearing their destination until they were pulling up in front of an a very grand, very impressive house. He was literally speechless. He couldn't believe that he actually knew someone who lived in a _mansion_. Sure, Ryan had told him about his house, but seeing it was an entirely different thing. In fact, he was so shocked that the only thing he could think to say, as he stared up at the building from his seat in the convertible, was,

"Dude!"

Ryan laughed and took off his seatbelt, climbing out of the car. Chad followed suit, the greying stones of the driveway crunching under his sneakers as he was led through the front door. He was once again rendered speechless when he was greeted by a large entrance hall and a grand staircase that wouldn't look out of place in a five-star hotel.

"I'll leave the tour for some over time then." Ryan laughed as he led him up the stairs and in to his room.

Despite the relative extravagance and grandeur of the rest of the house, Ryan's bedroom was exactly what Chad would expect of most other teenage boys. Apart from the king size bed and large plasma screen television displayed on the wall, and Chad was pretty sure that the double doors on the other side of the room would lead to a walk-in-wardrobe.

"So, what about the Wii?"

"Huh?"

Ryan gestured to his console and the game in his hand. "Baseball sound good to you?"

They played a few games and to Chad's dismay he was being beaten by Ryan, by a long shot. He'd never been a good loser so Chad decided to stoop to childish tactics, in order to stop the dancer's winning streak. Interrupting Ryan's victory dance, he snatched the controller from the other boy's hand and ran across the room.

"Hey!"

Chad smirked and brandished the remote at Ryan. It didn't take much to get the blond chasing after him. The jock found himself climbing on to the bed kneeling on the soft sheets and firm mattress. When Ryan followed him in to the middle of the mattress he held the controller behind his back, goading the other boy. Soon they were both laughing uncontrollably as Ryan reached around Chad trying to grab back the stolen remote and, in a giddy haze, Ryan pushed Chad back on to the mattress and straddled his middle. When both boys realised the position they were, they're laughing ended abruptly and Chad dropped the controller on to the bed at their side.

He reached up and ran his fingers across Ryan's cheek, staring hungrily at his soft pink lips.

"Chad…?"

And then Chad was leaning up and kissing Ryan, pulling the lithe blond on top of him. Their lips joined and their tongues crashed, moans sounding over the cheery background music of the abandoned computer game. Hands roamed and gasps mingled as they pulled back, looking straight in to each other's eyes, azure meeting chocolate. No more word's were needed as Chad's hands pulled Ryan's shirt from his trousers and his trembling fingers undid the row of buttons.

Ryan's eye lids fluttered closed in pleasure as Chad's hands roamed across his chest, and soon he was returning the favour, pulling the jock's slogan t-shirt from over his head, his fingers combing through mused curls as he threw the top across his room and admired Chad's muscular torso.

He leaned down again and kissed the other boy, drinking in his taste and revelling in the moans and gasps emanating from Chad's mouth as his hands ran over the firm chest of the basketball player and his fingers grasped hardened nipples.

"Ryan…"

It was only a barely audible plea, but it sent shivers down Ryan's spine.

Soon, kissing wasn't enough any more and Ryan gasped loudly as Chad's fingers unzipped his trousers and his hand slid inside. Ryan did the same, slipping his hand in to the taller boy's tight jeans and cotton boxers.

The sounds of their pleasure filled the room as tentative, shaking hands moved frantically as their breathing steadily grew more erratic.

Soon, it was over and Ryan was collapsing on top of Chad as he tried to regain his normal breathing pattern. He was more content than he thinks he has ever been, one hand entwined in Chad's, the other resting on the jock's chest as kisses were pressed in to his hair. He would have happily lay there forever if he could, but after what must have been ten minutes of lying in Chad's arms enjoying the quiet, Chad asked the question Ryan had been dreading.

"Ry, what about you and Jake?" That particular subject had been bothering Chad for sometime.

"I could ask the same about you and Taylor." They both knew Ryan was just avoiding answering the question. The truth was, the blond was dreading Chad's reaction.

"Ryan…"

"I was only with him to make you jealous. He knew all about my crush on you." He figured he might as well spit it out, get it over with, like pulling off a band aid.

Chad only laughed, because, really, what else could he do? It explained so much and seemed to make perfect sense given the situation they were in. So many complications and obstacles stood in their way and some of them weren't even genuine. It was ridiculous, really, but Chad wouldn't change any of it because everything was worth it now that he was lying in Ryan's bed with the gorgeous blonde boy in his arms.

"I'll break up with Taylor. I promise."

Ryan simply smiled and pressed a kiss to Chad's chest. He was finally completely and utterly happy and he wanted to enjoy it for as long as it lasted, because in his experience good things didn't last long.

"Stay for a while?"

Chad nodded and kissed Ryan again, delighting in the caress of Ryan's soft lips on his and the taste of the dancer in his mouth.

"As long as you want me to."


	5. Ready or Not

"Mrs McKessie. Is Taylor in?"

"Chad, how lovely to see you! She's in her room." The smiling woman ushered him in to the hallway, gesturing for him to ascend the stairs. "Keep the door open!" She shouted after him as he reached the landing. He had been expecting it, she said it every time he visited Taylor, but this time Chad would be sure to follow her instructions, if not for anything else but a quick and easy escape.

He hadn't been looking forward to this day. The past week he had somehow managed to successfully avoid Taylor at school, only talking to her when completely necessary and he knew from the looks she gave him and the number of times he had noticed her whispering with Gabriella, that she suspected that something was up. He could only pray that she didn't know what that 'something' was.

Aside from the nagging guilt at the back of his mind and the bubble of anxiousness in the pit of his stomach, it had been a good week. He'd made it his business to meet up with Ryan every night after school that week, whether it be at his or Ryan's house, it didn't really matter. He enjoyed the boy's company, and of course there was the added bonus that he was a _damn _good kisser. However, with the exception of '_that Monday' - _as Chad had started calling it, in his mind at least _-_ they hadn't went further than heated kissing and the occasional time when Ryan would slide his hand up under Chad's top and run his dainty fingers across the jock's broad chest.

But, no matter how well things were going with Ryan, he had lay in his bed, tossing and turning, for hours on end every night that week, sick with nerves about how exactly he was going to tell Taylor.

He had rehearsed what he was going to say countless times, even running over his speech on his walk to the girl's house but now he was here, hands trembling as he tried to steady his breathing with Taylor's bedroom door looming in front of him, all his practiced words flew from his mind.

However, it was too late to turn back now, and after all he had promised Ryan that he would do this sooner rather than later, so he ran his tongue over his dry lips one last time, wiped his sweating palms on his dark jeans and swallowed his nerves, before raising his fist to the door and knocking.

It was now or never.

He stuttered his way through his explanation, telling her that although he wasn't ready to tell her the true reason behind the break up, she had to believe that it was nothing she had done. She had shouted at him for using such a cliché line, yelling that even if he hadn't used the fateful words 'It's not you, it's me', he may as well have, before slamming her fist into his chest and telling him to leave.

He stood in the hallway for a few moments after she slammed the door in his face, trying to process what had just happened. He had prepared himself for crying, for demands for a real explanation, hell even the part of him that was nothing but an inflated ego had been prepared for her to beg him to give them another chance, but he hadn't been prepared for Taylor to just yell at him and tell him to leave. When he heard what sounded like a pile of books crash to floor and a dejected Taylor slumping against her door and muttering something about listening to her sister's rules, he decided it was time to leave.

He practically ran from the house, doing everything he could to avoid Mrs McKessie's questioning look.

As he walked home, kicking a random stone that he found on the sidewalk, he realised that the reason Taylor never demanded an explanation was most likely because she had known exactly what had been going from the start, and they both knew it.

…

Ryan greeted Jake with a genuine smile as he approached the secluded table in the coffee shop, thanking the boy when he saw the mug of cappuccino topped with extra foam and chocolate powder waiting for him on the table top.

"Ry! You're here!"

"Yeah, sorry I'm late."

Jake dismissed it with a smile and leant in to hug Ryan. When the taller boy went to kiss him, Ryan pulled back and smiled sheepishly before sitting on the comfortable armchair across from where Jake had been sitting.

"I'm afraid there won't be any more of that from now on."

He took a sip of his drink, savouring the taste for just a moment, before raising his eyes to meet Jake's knowing gaze.

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

Jake only had to see Ryan's grin to know that it did indeed mean that Ryan had finally gotten his man.

"That's great! I would come over and give you a big kiss and a hug if I wasn't scared of getting on the wrong side of that big hunk of yours. I'm just upset that I don't get to be the one to show off your fine ass anymore."

Ryan laughed, it was all he could do, after all how many break-ups went this way?

He felt that recently, everything was fitting in to place, it was truly the happiest he had been in a long time. He had Chad, even if their relationship had to remain a secret for the time being; he was closer to Sharpay than ever before; and his parents were happy for him.

He had to admit that it had been excruciatingly awkward when his mom and dad returned home from a dinner date to find himself and Chad heavily making out in the sitting room, but when Chad had gotten over his, adorable, blushes and he had assured him that his parents were totally fine with him being gay, he had taken Chad by the hand and led him to the kitchen, where he was properly introduced to Ryan's parents. Chad had joked later, "We've only been seeing each other three days and already I've met the parents." It had been impossible to hide his grin at hearing Chad say they were 'seeing each other' out loud.

And now here he was, sipping on his favourite hot beverage and laughing with his ex-fake-boyfriend.

Everything truly was right in his world.

"Only thing is, you can't tell anyone. Chad wants to keep it on the down low for now."

"Ooh, you need to change that, and quickly. Secrets always turn messy."

…

"Chad, hey!"

Ryan had been hoping that Chad would call him. They had agreed to meet up with Jake and Taylor, respectively, on Saturday morning and it was now half seven that evening.

"Hey, yourself."

"So, I met up with Jake today. I am officially single and all yours."

"You have been all along."

Ryan chuckled, and for a few moments he forgot about the horrible feeling at the pit of his stomach that Chad had bottled it at the last minute and things weren't going to plan.

"So, I broke up with Taylor today."

And there it was, the conformation that Chad did actually have feelings for him, that he kept his promises and Ryan wasn't just his little experiment, a way to live out his fantasies whilst remaining the popular jock with a girlfriend that everyone knew him for. Ryan knew this wouldn't be easy for Chad, it was never going to be, not only did he have to overcome the usual hurdles of a teenager coming out as gay - the fear that he wouldn't be accepted by his friends and family, and the constant dread that one day the homophobes would channel their hate with fists and feet - and Ryan knew all about that, but Chad also had the added trouble of being accepted as a gay jock, something that would inevitably be an uphill struggle.

Chad could hear Ryan's relieved sigh. He would never admit to the shivers that a mere exhalation of breath from the blond sent through his entire body.

"So we can be a real couple now! I know it'll be difficult, but it will all be worth it to be able to kiss you in public, show you off to the whole school…"

Ryan could tell by Chad's sudden silence that things wouldn't quite be that easy.

"Um,…Ry look, the thing is,…it's just that,… you see,…basically I don't think I'm ready. I didn't tell Taylor the reason for me breaking up with her, and I haven't told my parents yet, and I don't even know if I'm ready to, yet."

"Oh. Ok, sure. Well, you take all the time you need. I'll wait for you, and I'll be here for you if you need me."

They talked for a little while longer, but the conversation was forced and awkward, so eventually Ryan made up an excuse and ended the phone call.

…

Two days of worrying and trying to convince his mom that he was ill and would therefore have to stay off school, later Chad had to resign himself to the fact that he would have to face up to school, and ultimately Taylor, at some point, so he decided to bite the bullet and get over his stupid anxieties. After all, he kept telling himself, she didn't know why he had broken up with her, she couldn't. He wasn't ready for facing up to entire school knowing his secret.

The morning passed with little incident - he barely saw Taylor apart from in homeroom, and all he'd seen of  
Ryan was his comforting smile before first period - but come lunchtime he just couldn't bring himself to face the lunch hall.

…

When Ryan turned from the lunch queue, tray in hand and Sharpay closely behind him, he could feel the entire Wildcats table's eyes on him, led, of course, by Taylor's glare. He had been dreading this moment ever since Chad had broken up with her. Taylor had never once hidden her hatred for him, ever since that first day in homeroom when he'd smiled at Chad and ran his fingers up the jock's rather impressive biceps.

He knew he was in for trouble as soon as she placed her hands on the table top for leverage and stood up. Gabriella tried to place a hand on her arm to hold her back, doing everything in her power to avoid a confrontation in full view of the entire lunch hall, but Taylor just shrugged the hand off and stormed over to Ryan.

He was surprised when she didn't slap him in the face as soon as she was standing in front of him, but she somehow managed to restrain herself and settled for invading his personal space and yelling in his face.

"You did this! You…you, urgh! You turned him gay! You stole my boyfriend! You turned him _gay_!"

Ryan was painfully aware now that everyone was staring at him, and he was pretty certain that he saw a few open mouths and heard a few gasps, as comical and over-the-top as it was. However, he was far too busy trying to process the situation to even contemplate laughing at his fellow student's reactions.

"I didn't do anything, he was already gay!"

He hadn't thought about what he was saying, and he really wishes he had, because just then he heard a pained voice coming from the entrance to the lunch hall.

"Ry, I told you I…how could you?!"

And before Ryan could even think of a response, Chad was turning and running from the hall.

Everyone was looking at him, but he couldn't care less. All he could think about was how he had just ruined everything in less than ten seconds.

He felt a comforting hand on his back, and turned to be greeted by emerald eyes and chiselled cheekbones. Jake simply offered him a half smile.

"What are you doing still standing here. Go after him."

Jake took his tray out of his hands, and Ryan ran out of the hall, leaving behind a fuming Taylor, a concerned Sharpay and a couple hundred whispering high school students.

Chad was a much faster runner than Ryan was and it showed, because it took Ryan over five minutes to find him, sitting with his back against the wall at the back of the school, looking out across the running track and pulling at a lose thread on his t-shirt.

"Can I…"

Ryan gestured to the space next to Chad, but the other boy didn't answer or even acknowledge Ryan's presence. So, the dancer took it upon himself to sit down on the ground next to Chad anyway, designer trousers be damned.

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but I'm truly sorry. I wasn't thinking, she just came up to me and started yelling, and I know it's no excuse, but I just wasn't thinking, and…"

"You already said that."

Chad's voice was soft and far too quiet for the boy that Ryan had known since he started at East High. It was only then that Ryan looked over at him and noticed the tear tracks on his cheeks. He reached over to take Chad's hand in his own, but he pulled it back immediately and remained staring straight ahead as he continued talking.

"You said you'd wait until I was ready, and I honestly believed you, that you would wait until I could tell everyone on my own terms. But now the whole school knows, and I haven't even told my own parents. I just,…I thought you were different Ryan, I thought you actually cared for me, that you would keep your word. I just don't understand. How could you?!"

With that he got to his feet and walked away. Ryan watched his retreating back, with a lump in his throat, before shouting out, "I really am sorry." But he had a feeling that even if Chad could still hear him, he would choose not to.


	6. Four Days

_AN: Sorry it took so long to update, but life has been a little crazy lately. However, now exams are officially over and I have and six weeks of free time - gotta love summer holidays - I hope to update more regularly. So, please review as I'm not sure how well this fic has been received and feedback would really be appreciated. Thanks. Xx _

It wasn't like Chad had planned on staying off school for almost an entire week, but he figured facing the wrath and questioning glares of his parents was easier than facing the wrath of Taylor McKessie and the bombardment of questions from his fellow students.

He had spent four days lounging about an empty house with too much time to think and too little to occupy him. He watched more trashy day time television than he ever had before and spent approximately 70% of his time worrying about his imminent return to school. When half five rolled around each day and his mom and dad entered the house within ten minutes of each other he had to go back to feigning illness, although he knew, due entirely to the semi-annoyed, semi-amused look on his mom's face that he wasn't fooling anyone.

Friday morning arrived and Chad decided that it was the best day to return. He figured that any drama that would inevitably unfold would dissipate over the weekend, plus he really couldn't face another day stewing at home.

He left early, grabbing a slice of toast and quickly gulping down a glass of orange before dashing out the front door, barely giving his mom enough time to wish him a good day. With no Troy to give him a ride to school he had to option but to walk. Shoving his headphones in his ears he began the twenty minute walk to the most daunting day of his school life so far.

…

Not that he was expecting to be welcomed back with open arms, but when he arrived in home room Troy, Zeke and Jason didn't so much as look up and nod in his direction. In fact the only thing he was greeted with was whispers emanating from a gaggle of girls in the corner.

Things only worsened when Ryan arrived behind him and stood awkwardly next to Chad, who was still deliberating over which desk to sit at. His decision was pushed along when Ryan reached out to touch his back and sighed dejectedly, "Chad…". He jumped in to the nearest possible seat and tried to block out the giggling from the gossiping girls and Taylor's tearstained eyes.

…

His day doesn't get off to a great start. All of his teachers lecture him on the importance of good attendance and he's dumped with a pile of homework that may just have been the same height as him. To add to that, the guys kept avoiding him all morning, so Chad had no choice but to confront them at lunch.

Tray in hand, he swallowed past the lump in his throat and approached the Wildcat table. Fortunately, Taylor and Gabriella weren't there. Unfortunately, Chad knew that they would be in the toilets, Gabriella trying and failing to console a crying Taylor because he had seen a flustered black haired girl rush in to the bathroom, who looked suspiciously like Troy's girlfriend and who was shouting "Wait, Tay…"

"Um,…guys can I…?" He gestured awkwardly to the vacant seat next to Troy and the other boy shrugged and shifted slightly toward Zeke, who sat picking at a sandwich on his other side.

Chad ignored his food completely.

"Look, I know you guys are uncomfortable, but I just wanted to assure you I was never attracted to any on you. I mean, really no offence, but none of you are at all my type."

Troy only smirked. "And blond dancers who never show up at school without a hat are?"

Chad smiled his first genuine smile in four days then, because he knew if Troy was making jokes about it, everything would be fine. And he had no worries about Zeke and Jason because Troy was the captain so whatever he said went - if he was fine with Chad making out with guys then the rest of the Wildcats would just have to be.

"Well, they were. Until one particular blond dancer outed me in front of the entire school way before I was ready."

Zeke raised his eyebrows at that.

"From what Sharpay tells me, he's done nothing but regret it since Monday."

He raises his eyes in the direction of the drama table at the top of the stairs and Chad follows to be greeted with the sight of Ryan picking at his food, sighing and nodding every once in a while in agreement to whatever Sharpay was ranting about now.

"She says he's really sorry he ever said anything."

Now it was Troy's turn to interject. "Dude, if you really like him, and I'm guessing you do because I know you and you wouldn't have ever said anything about the whole gay anything unless you met a guy that was really worth it all, you'll forgive him."

It was then that Chad was truly happy that Troy had Gabriella, because before that girl had shown up, his best friend had never talked such sense.

…

The remainder of the afternoon passed with little incident. He only saw Taylor once and even through her red, puffy eyes she managed to shoot him a glare that could have melted the ice caps single handed, no car exhausts required.

He spent a large part of chemistry thinking over what Troy had said and deciding whether or not it would be so easy to forgive Ryan. After a lot of thought he decided that he was going to have had to come out at some point, and really had it been so bad so far? He had already broken up with Taylor and really he could see it in her eyes when Ryan had made his little revelation that she was more angry than surprised. And throughout the day he hadn't faced much difficulty. He had been surprised that Troy and the guys had accepted him so easily and he hadn't been met with the jeers and cries of 'Fag!' like he had expected when he had arrived at the school that morning. So, really, it was stupid to go on punishing Ryan for something that he so obviously regretted, and if forgiving him meant he got to kiss him again, then Chad's mind was already made up.

…

He gathered up his things when the last bell of the day rang and headed to the gym. There was no scheduled practice, but he needed to blow off some steam after a particularly stressful last period. The teacher hadn't seemed to care that he had missed four days worth of lessons, instead she practically chucked a textbook and some work sheets at him and barked at him to catch up in his own time, no offer of guidance in sight.

After half an hour of shooting hoops he had worked up a sweat and had rid himself of the excess tension so he showered and changed back in to his earlier clothes.

When he reached the car park he turned back in to the building, deciding to take a chance.

…

When he reaches the auditorium his hopes are confirmed when he spots Ryan on stage. His eyes are clamped shut as he runs through a dance with practiced ease. There is only two weeks remaining until the school show and the blonde is clearly putting everything in to perfecting the last few routines.

Chad remains at the back, going unnoticed for now and watches Ryan for a short while. He marvels at the way his body moves with such grace, as his top rides up to reveal a little of his pale stomach as he reaches up in to a series of spins across the stage

When Ryan finishes Chad feels slightly guilty for watching and announces his presence quickly.

"Dancing again?"

It seemed to be a given these days that if you were looking for Ryan Evans there was at least a fifty percent chance that he was dancing.

Ryan stops what he is doing abruptly and turns, sweat running down his forehead and his breath heavy and rasping as it tears out of his rapidly rising and falling chest. He looks directly at Chad and Chad looks straight back.

"It helps calm me."

Ryan climbs down from the stage and gestures to Chad to join him in the front row seats. He walks down the aisle with trembling hands because he knows now that there's no going back, not now everyone knows and Ryan is looking at him with that vulnerable look in his pale blue eyes, and he's getting that same jolt in his insides as he did that first time he saw the dancer and he immediately had the urge to kiss him, and not now that he's using cheesy words like 'jolt' and 'urge' to describe how he feels about this boy that has completely changed his life.

It's awkward to begin with, Ryan tentatively asking how he's been, obviously unsure of how to act around Chad. The jock answers honestly, telling him that he had spent the last four days over thinking everything and fretting about returning to school. Ryan starts to apologise for outing him, for 'turning' him, for moving to Easy High and messing with his life, he isn't sure but he feels he has to say sorry for something, but Chad stops him before he can get the first two letters of the word out.

"Don't be sorry. It doesn't matter anymore. It was going to have to happen at some point, and yes I would have been happier if that some point had been when I was ready, but, dude, Taylor isn't stupid. She knew ever since that first day when you walked in to home room and had me stuttering over my own name."

That gets a chuckle out of Ryan. Then he goes quite and all of a sudden things turn serious again.

"Doesn't a part of you wish things were back to how they used to be before you knew me? You had Taylor and basketball and everything was simple."

"Simple's overrated."

And Chad can't help it anymore, as soon as those two words are out of his mouth he's leaning over the armrest and pulling Ryan to him and in the kiss he's spent the last four days dreaming about.

When they pull back Ryan entwines their fingers together and they just look at each other. And it's like something out of a bad romance film, but Chad can't bring himself to care because he's finally happy enough and secure enough in himself that he can hold hands with Ryan, just watch Ryan smile, kiss Ryan and not even worry that anyone could walk in at any minute because the only thing he can think of at that moment is the feel of Ryan's lips on his and his tongue in his mouth after a long four days.

…

Later, when Chad arrives back home and he sees both his parents cars in the driveway he knows he is in for a grilling, but he really isn't up to it.

So, when he walks in the door grinning from ear to ear and his mom immediately asks, "What's making you so happy?", he simply smiles and tells her it's good to be back at school.

She doesn't believe him for a second.

_AN: Hope it was worth the wait! I'm not sure whether to continue with this, as I'm not sure that many people are actually reading and enjoying, so if people feel it isn't worth continuing this will be the last chapter and I wanted to end this chapter this way so that it could feel like the ending. However, if people are still enjoying the fic, then I do still have plans for a few more chapters as I don't feel everything has been resolved yet. Thanks for reading!_


	7. Flashing Neon Sign

_AN: This is for the few people who are still reading. Hope you enjoy it. There's a few more chapters to go, as I've decided I will finish this fic the way I intended it to be completed. So, without further ado I give you the long awaited fluff. Xx _

He didn't understand why he was so nervous. The people who mattered already knew that he was gay, and he was pretty sure that the entire school knew about him and Ryan thanks to Taylor's outburst the previous week. But speculation and confirmation were two entirely different things.

They met in the car park as arranged, but Chad hadn't been counting on the butterflies racing around his stomach and the incessant trembling of his fingers.

Ryan greeted him with a wide smile and when he realised how nervous Chad was, he pulled the taller boy to him and into a chaste, but loving, kiss.

"Hey, you sure you want to do this?"

The dancer's arms were still casually draped around his neck and one hand was busying itself with running through Chad's unruly curls, but Chad couldn't bring himself to care about what their school mates would think about the obvious display of affection, because all he could focus on was the look of concern in the blond's eyes.

"Of course."

And he really meant it, because he was tired of hiding who was, fed up of having to lie and cover up his feelings for Ryan.

With one last quick kiss, Ryan locked up his car, shoved the keys in his messenger bag and entwined his fingers with Chad's.

As they approached the building they drew a few looks from their fellow students and Ryan could feel how sweaty the other boy's palm was becoming in his grasp. All he could do was run his thumb over the back of Chad's hand in, what he hoped was, a comforting manner. Chad had braced himself for the worst, so really a few disgusted glances were nothing compared to the hell he had been anticipating. He turned to look at Ryan, as he had found over the previous weeks that the blond's face immediately calmed him no matter what extremes his emotions reached. He received a small smile and he squeezed the hand that was helping to keep him from turning and running.

When they reached Chad's locker they found that Troy, Jason, Zeke, Gabriella, Sharpay, Kelsi and Taylor were gathered in a group nearby at Troy's locker. They received warm smiles and nods of greeting from everyone but Taylor who struggled to meet either's eyes.

Once Chad had collected the required books for his morning classes, they headed to homeroom, hands once again finding each other and clasping as they smiled to the group in passing.

Kelsi's exclamations of 'Oh my god! They're so cute!' could be heard from the opposite end of the corridor, before she was hurriedly silenced by Gabriella.

The rest of the morning passed like many other before it. No one gave either Chad or Ryan any trouble, and Chad was willing to bet that it had something to do with the glares Sharpay had not-so-subtly been giving out throughout the day.

During the one class he was in with Gabriella that Taylor wasn't also in, she approached him and told him how happy she was for him, despite how hurt Taylor was. He smiled when she ensured him that she would eventually move on and that she was one hundred percent positive that she wouldn't be reacting any differently if it was another girl Chad had been seeing.

When lunchtime arrived, he met with Ryan outside of the lunch hall, and he was greeted by a warm hug, in which he relished the scent of the boy that he had barely seen since homeroom.

Ryan immediately asked how he was, and Chad was genuine when he answered with a simple, "Good."

They shared a quick smile before entering the hall together. After collecting their food, they turned to the Wildcat table where the entire group, minus Sharpay, sat. Ryan figured it was one of the those rare occasions where she abandoned Zeke's adoring gaze in favour of sitting at the drama geek table. Chad made a move to sit at his usual table, before Gabriella caught his eye, giving him a sympathetic smile as she gestured to Taylor, who sat silently picking at her lunch. He instantly understood.

He turned back to Ryan who had been lingering a few steps behind him and the dancer wordlessly led them to the drama club's usual table.

It took Sharpay all of five seconds to start the inquisition once the couple had taken the two spare seats at the round table.

"So, what are your intentions with my brother?"

Ryan almost choked on his drink as he attempted to hold in his laughter, before turning to his boyfriend with a raised eyebrow and an expectant look on his face.

Chad simply smirked, raising his own eyebrows and turned to Sharpay. "Well, I would have thought that would have been obvious."

And this time Ryan didn't even attempt to cover his laughter at the look on his sister's face.

He made a show of grabbing Chad's face and kissing him soundly on the cheek. Sharpay had finally met her match.

Chad had barely swallowed his first bite of his sandwich before she started on him again.

"So, out and proud, huh?"

Chad turned to Ryan with a secret smile on his lips, and he was pretty sure he heard Sharpay scoff something about 'sickly sweet couples' as he answered, all the time looking Ryan in the eye.

"Yeah, I'm pretty much ready to shout it from the rooftops."

Right at that moment, as if on cue, Ryan's eyes lit up with a mischievous glimmer and Chad knew he was in trouble.

"Why don't you?"

It took a moment for Chad to realise what the dancer meant, but as soon as it clicked he grinned and picked up his tray, lunch all but forgotten as he offered a hand to Ryan.

"Well, come on then."

Ryan gave him one of those rare genuine chuckles and took the offered hand as he was led out of the lunch hall by a grinning Chad, leaving behind a half eaten lunch and a thoroughly confused sister.

…

When they reached the roof, both slightly out of breath after running up the entirety of the staircase, Chad turned to Ryan with what seemed to be a permanent grin on his face.

"Why should Gabriella and Troy be the only sickly sweet couple to enjoy the view?"

Ryan loved hearing Chad refer to them as a couple, and he answered by closing the small gap between them and crashing his lips against the taller jock. He had to stand on tiptoes as his fingers grasped at Chad's upper arms and his tongue danced with the other boy's.

When they pulled back both were a little breathless, and Chad wrapped his arms tightly around Ryan's back.

"So, ready to shout it from the roof tops?" He chuckled against Chad's taut chest, where his head was currently nestled against.

"Nah, don't want to risk getting us both suspended."

Ryan laughed and turned in his boyfriend's arms, until Chad's arms were crisscrossed around his waist and his hands were resting atop the significantly larger ones of the jock.

"But I would." Chad's breathe tickled the back of his neck and caused the small hairs that could be found there to stand on end. "I'd walk around with a flashing neon light above my head - 'I'm the lucky guy who gets to make out with Ryan Evans.'"

"That's quite the announcement. Not sure many people would catch it in passing."

"Well, you get the idea."

Ryan laughed for what felt like the hundredth time that day and rolled his head back to rest against Chad's shoulder, burying his head in the crook of the other boy's neck and inhaling the intoxicating scent of his shower gel and aftershave. He kissed the spot behind Chad's ear that he knew for a fact drove him crazy and relaxed back into the embrace.

They stood in relative silence for a few moments, Ryan totally content surrounded by Chad's arms and the colourful arrays of flowers as the bright early afternoon sun shone down on them, Chad contemplating his next question.

"So, when are you going to come and 'meet the parents'?" He eventually managed to get the entire sentence out amidst placing hot, open mouthed kisses to Ryan's neck.

"Hmm?" Ryan had to admit he hadn't been fully concentrating on his words, far to busy revelling in the sensations Chad was smothering his exposed neck in.

"My mom keeps asking to meet the reason that I've done nothing but smile recently. And that's a direct quote, which I'm guessing means she wants to meet you."

"Really?! I didn't know you had even come out to them yet."

Chad continued staring at the flawless blue sky as he answered, "I haven't. I figured this could be my way of doing it."

Ryan smiled. He still couldn't get over how far Chad had come in such a short space of time. They had gone from sexual tension by the bucket load, to beards and fake boyfriends, to guilty hand jobs set to the backdrop of an abandoned computer game, to a forced outing and finally to standing in each other's arms on East High's roof talking about meeting the parents. All of this and Ryan hadn't even completed half a year at East High.

"Well, when I'm given a title like that, how can I refuse?"

Again, they stood in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the feeling of being together, with no upset ex-girlfriends and nosy sisters to interrupt; the feeling of finally being able to enjoy each other's company properly for the first time as an 'out in the open' couple.

It was then Chad realised something, and he shared his thought with Ryan, whispering in to the shorter boy's ear; "I'm so happy it actually scares me." Ryan silently agreed by turning around to capture his lips in another kiss.


End file.
